November 18, 2008

Moptops from Around the World!

The British Invasion of 1964 wasn't confined to just North America and Australia. Even as it was dissolving the Sun never set on the British Empire, at least musically; during the decade there was scarcely a corner of Earth where you couldn't find some hirsute collection of teenagers banging guitars and howling yeah yeah yeahs in a vain attempt to attract screaming legions of females. Let's take a nostalgic trip around the globe for a listen.

Hailing from the world's most depressing country, Finland's Eddie and the Lightnings kept Helsinki teens dancing and non-suicidal with "Paha Oot," a cover of Betty Everett's "You're No Good."

Meanwhile, down south, the Iron Curtain teens of Poland were abandoning Polka for the beat sounds of Ana Rusowicz and Niebiesko Czarni -- here performing their gulag-rocker "Nie Pukaj do Moich Drzwi."

Also behind the Iron Curtain, and likely under the close scrutiny of the Stasi: Thomas Natschinski und Seine Gruppe, and "Ich bin in diese Stadt gekommen."

Before it descended into civil war, Yugoslavia was kept together by iron-fisted ruler Tito and Siluete, here covering the Spencer Davis Group blues rock classic "I'm a Man":

Rock-o Italiano, with Roman faves The Rokes and "Grazie a Te":

For whatever reason France has not been known as a hotbed of rock combos, but the fuzz-drenched "Vivre Avec Toi" by Les Miserables proves the frogs have it in 'em.

On this side of the Atlantic enthusiasm for Brit Beat wasn't just confined to our shores. South of the Border (down Mexico way) was a hotbed of fab-o, gear-o beat combos. Here's Los Walkers on Mexico City TV doing a Spanish cover of the Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich hit "Hold Tight":

One of the world's best (and hardest) Garage rock locales of the Sixties was, of all places, Chile -- thanks to pioneering groups like Los Shakers who were early adopters of the British sound. Here's an overview, with music provided by Vidrios Quebrados and "Fictions":

Nobody rocked harder south of the equator than Los Saicos, who growling, Sonics-like sound proved that Peruvian music is much more than just lame new age pan flutes bands in the subway. Here's "Demolicion", which was to South America what "Surfin' Bird" was to the Midwest.

From Argentina, the snarly Stones-ish sounds of Los Bestias:

Concluding our South American swing, here are the 'Brazilian Bitles' (no attempt to evade copyright infringement) and "Rei Mau."

As I always say, the chief export of Asia is industrial-strength weird. Exhibit A: the Chinese version of "Speedy Gonzales" by Hong Kong's Zoundcrackers:

Hong Kong's Josephine Siao Loves a go go!

Malasian moptops the Siglap 5 rocked Sixties Singapore:

No survey of Far East weirdness would be complete without a contribution from Japan. Behold the psychedelic sounds of The Mops:

And our tour concludes on the subcontinent, proving that the Beatles influenced India every bit as much as India influenced the Beatles. Yeah yeah Yeah!

Comments

Could it be this whiskey sausage influencing me? This heavenly blend of the finest bottom-shelf liquors certainly beguiles the tounge with it's heavenly flavor and lingering crappy-beer aftertaste, but could it also bewitch my ears? No. The magic is most assuredly in the music.

As Gabriel points out, Los Shakers were an uruguayan band; not chilean like Los Vidrios Quebrados.

Also worth checking is Los Mac's and their album "Kaleidoscope Men". Along with "Fictions" from Los Vidrios Quebrados (already mentioned in the post), they may be the best exponents of the chilean beatlemania era.